Piece of Cake
by Timeloopy
Summary: Just a bit of Sawyer angst. . .more suliet than skate despite how it starts off. . .


_Just a little bit of angst rolling around in my head. It's not really Suliet or Skate either one. . ._

Kate raised her hand to knock on Sawyer's door and wasn't terribly surprised to hear the giggling inside. She paused and had to step aside quickly to avoid the shapely young thing who bounced through the door carrying those giggles with her and dragging Sawyer by the hand.

Sawyer sauntered through the door behind her and allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace, indulging in a kiss that made Kate simultaneously want to blush and puke.

"Bye now," the girl wiggled her fingers as she skipped off down the path and his eyes followed appreciatively.

"Who was that?" Kate asked, making her presence known.

Sawyer turned and smirked.

"I think her name's Tracey or is it Stacey?"

"Unbelievable."

"Yes, she is."

Kate crossed her arms.

"Jealous?"

"What could I possibly have to be jealous of? Juliet's barely been dead a month and you're running around screwing women half your age."

"Half my age? Why, you're right. This very day she's nineteen and I'm 38 so she IS half my age. How very astute of you Ms. Austin."

"Why do I even bother? Obviously, you aren't capable of caring deeply about anyone."

Sawyer leaned back against the screen door and folded his arms in front of him, leveling a hard stare back at her.

"Obviously, I'm not . So, what brings you here? Surely, you didn't stir yourself from your busy pursuits just to come over here and defend Juliet's memory. You didn't even like her."

Kate opened and closed her mouth a couple of times.

"Well? You must have had some reason for coming."

"We're meeting at Jack's place to discuss what to do next. What all this means."

"I see."

"I'm supposed to tell everybody. So, I'm telling you. In about an hour at Jack's place."

"Got it. If I can fit it into my schedule of general debauchery and disrespecting the dead, I'll try to make it."

"I don't know why I bother." Kate turned in disgust and stomped toward her next destination.

"Me either, sweetheart. Me either."

***

"I thought you were going to tell them." Jack ran his hand over his short-cropped hair as Kate pulled the last of the chairs into his living room.

"I did tell them."

"This isn't everybody, Kate. Where are Sun and Jin?"

"They say they know what they're doing next. They're taking the boat and going home to their daughter."

"They can't do that."

"I told him you'd say that. Jin says to try and stop him."

The door opened and several of the invited guests filtered in, including Sun and Jin.

Sun held up a hand.

"We'll listen, but we have no intention of allowing you to convince us to stay."

Sawyer stepped inside.

"What? No beer?"

Sawyer avoided Kate's scowl and stepped past Jack into the kitchen where he rifled through the refrigerator until he came up with an unopened can.

The screen door creaked again announcing Hurley's arrival. In his hands, he held a three-layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing.

Kate met him and took it from him.

"Yum! What's the occasion?"

"Any occasion for cake, right?" Hurley noticed an odd look pass over Sawyer's face.

"I just remembered I have somewhere I have to be," Sawyer said, discarding the beer still unopened and pushing through the assembled guests toward the door.

"But we need everyone's input," Jack sputtered.

Sawyer looked back and waved a hand in Hurley's direction.

"I give Hurley my proxy if you take a vote. I'm sure whatever you decide is fine."

After he left, everyone moved toward the chairs. Miles arrived a few minutes late and looked around.

"Where's Sawyer?" Miles asked.

"He left when Hurley brought out the cake." Kate shrugged.

"Why would he do that? Sawyer loves chocolate cake – used to bring it to work with him on special occasions."

Kate looked at the cake then closed her eyes. Damn.

***

She found him in the jungle chopping down trees with a well-worn axe.

"Happy Birthday," she said.

Sawyer turned, his eyes were guarded, his jaw set.

"Don't worry about getting me nothing. I celebrated this morning with Tracey. Or whatever the hell her name was."

Kate extended the foil wrapped dish she was holding.

"I brought you a piece of cake. Miles said chocolate's your favorite."

Sawyer picked up the axe and turned back to the tree.

"You eat it."

"It's really good. Hurley's an awesome cook. Listen, I'm sorry I gave you a hard time this morning. I didn't realize it was your birthday."

"Yeah, well. It don't matter. Very few people in this world have ever remembered my birthday. And the world keeps right on turning."

"Come on. Have some cake. It's delicious."

He whirled on her now.

"I don't want the damn cake, okay? I don't want delicious chocolate cake that looks like something out of Better Homes and Gardens. I want –"

Kate watched as tears formed in his eyes and he blinked them away.

"I want crappy Dharma chocolate cake mix cake. Alright? I want cake that's burnt around the edges because she always got preoccupied and forgot to get it out of the oven when it was time. I want the ugliest damn cake you ever saw because she got in a hurry and put the icing on before it was cool. Do you understand? I want the same damn birthday cake I've had every year for the last three years. I want – "

His voice broke off in a half sob and he turned away.

"Just go. Please."

Kate looked down at the cake in her hand and made one last try.

"It's really good. You might like it if you try."

He didn't look at her. He just shook his head.

"I'm sure it wouldn't be bad. Hell, I might even enjoy it. But when the cake was all gone, it'd just hurt like hell because it's not really what I want. I don't want the cake, Kate. I just don't have the heart for it any more."


End file.
